The Glebefoot Fund: Support that reaches across Scotland’s charity landscape
A flexible giving plan that supports both large national charities and small local organisations.
Mary came to Foundation Scotland in 2004 looking for a simpler approach to charitable giving. After speaking with our team, she chose to close her charitable trust and create a giving plan with us. Both practical and personal, Mary’s plan combines regular unrestricted funding and responsive grantmaking.
Invested Funds
The first step was transferring the trust’s assets into an invested fund, designed to provide long-term support for the causes closest to her heart. Each year, we use a small percentage of the invested fund to top up Mary’s grantmaking fund, called the Glebefoot Fund.
Annual Donations
As part of her giving plan, Mary created a list of charities she wanted to support through annual donations, setting a minimum amount for these gifts. These donations primarily support large national charities, such as Barnardo's Scotland and Age Scotland, placing trust in these organisations to use funds where they are needed most.
Responsive Grants
Alongside these annual donations, Mary also wanted part of the fund to remain flexible and responsive to emerging community need. Reflecting on her priorities and interests, Mary decided that the remaining funds would support charitable organisations across East and South Scotland working with at least one of the following groups:
- children and families
- people experiencing homelessness
- people with disabilities
- older people
- seafarers and former seafarers
- people with cancer and their families
- people living with hearing or sight loss
During her lifetime, we worked closely with Mary, sharing funding recommendations based on her priorities and interests. Since her sad passing, we have continued to honour her wishes, ensuring her generosity continues to reach the people and places she cared about most.
This flexible plan has provided a second chance for strong applications that were not selected by other funds due to high demand or more narrowly defined criteria. In this way, the Glebefoot Fund has supported a wide range of community projects - from storytelling sessions for older people and adults in supported living, to the provision of school equipment for children experiencing poverty.
Are you interested in designing your own personal giving plan?
Mary’s personal giving plan is a lasting legacy - thoughtful, far-reaching, and quietly making a difference across Scotland’s charity landscape. To date, the Glebefoot Fund has awarded over £425,000.
If you would like to explore your giving options with Foundation Scotland, we would be delighted to hear from you. To get the conversation started, please contact us at development@foundationscotland.org.uk